National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NACD URGES ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR
CONSERVATION PROGRAMS FOLLOWING HURRICANES

WASHINGTON, D.C.—September 29, 2005—National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) President Bill Wilson today sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees urging consideration of additional funding for conservation programs involved in the recovery of regions devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

NACD recognizes that the nation must first attend to humanitarian needs arising from the storms. However the letter stresses the need to quickly begin restoration of the damaged lands that affect landowners, fish and wildlife resources, water quality and overall natural resource health. While assessment of natural resource damage is not complete, early reports clearly demonstrate significant damage to crop, grass and forest land.

Wilson, a rancher-surveyor from Kinta, Okla., said “Farmers’ and ranchers’ livelihoods depend on the resources that have been destroyed by the hurricanes. Additional support for conservation programs is critical to get folks back in business.”

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The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts and 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For almost 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. NACD’s website is at www.nacdnet.org.

Actual text of the letters follows:

September 29, 2005

Dear Chair and Ranking Member,

In the wake of the epic destruction in the Southern United States caused by recent hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, homes and property. Attending to the immediate humanitarian needs arising from the tragedies of these storms must remain our number one priority.

As we continue with our response to these disasters, however, we urge you to keep in mind that the foundation for recovery in the area is tied directly to the natural resources of the regions hit by the storms. We have made great strides over the years in building a solid conservation foundation, which we believe helped keep the damage from being even greater. We need to move quickly to begin restoring those damaged lands and restore that legacy. Farmers' and ranchers' livelihoods, as well as the well-being our fish and wildlife resources, are tied directly to the land and water, and restoring the health of those natural resources will be critical to successful restoration efforts.

Assessments of natural resources damages are as yet incomplete and will not truly be known until the affected areas are completely accessible. Early reports from USDA on damages from Katrina alone, however, indicate that significant acreages of corn, soybeans and rice were affected by hurricane and tropical storm force winds. The Forest Service estimates that timber losses from Katrina will amount to 4.2 billion cubic feet. This devastated crop, grass and forest land will require substantial conservation technical and financial assistance to bring back full production.

We also know that thousands of livestock were killed by the storms-10,000 of the 15,000 beef cattle in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana alone perished. Hundreds of thousands of broilers and layers in the region were lost as well. All of these carcasses will have to be disposed of properly to avoid severe further environmental degradation and even more serious threats to human health.

We know, too, that debris of all kinds is clogging streams and impeding drainage facilities from functioning fully, if at all. Many producers are faced with infrastructure losses, as well. Numerous animal waste facilities will need to be repaired or replaced and countless conservation practices that stabilize the land and protect streams, rivers and lakes from runoff have been blown out or washed away.

The positive side of the situation is that we have a number of conservation programs and trained, professional staff in place in local conservation district and USDA field offices that can assist in the recovery efforts. NRCS's Emergency Watershed Program and FSA's Emergency Conservation Program are designed to respond to just such natural disasters. Farm Bill conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and others can also provide the needed technical and financial assistance to help producers repair and restore both structural and land treatment conservation practices. The Forest Land Enhancement Program, which has thus far been significantly underutilized, could provide badly needed assistance to private woodland owners who suffered so much damage and loss.

The importance of wetlands as buffers has been emphasized many times in recent days. The Wetlands Reserve Program is an ideal tool to help restore damaged and converted wetlands to protect fragile coastal and riparian zones. This habitat is critical not only for people, but also for countless species of fish and other wildlife.

All of the conservation programs mentioned above and many more have played critical roles in successfully responding to many natural disasters in the past. Producers and other landowners and operators need this help now more than ever.

As the Committee continues to craft the nation's response to the damage and suffering and begins to consider the next levels of emergency supplemental appropriations, we urge you to consider funding for the conservation programs that can play a vital role in the region's recovery and, indeed, in mitigating or preventing future damages. On behalf of America's conservation districts, we stand ready to assist you in any way we can.

Sincerely,

Bill Wilson
President, National Association of Conservation Districts